Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-02-01
A SHOCKING STORY
vKaxR nAxEs A FULL CONFESSION or
THE MURDER.
Horrined a. Sight Of Bohls's Trunk-Hsv
BE KILLED His Victim and Threw
the Head in the River.
lnAltImore Amorican.l

Edward Unger, the murderer OF Au-
gust Bohle, whose body was found last
week in trunk shipped TO this city
from New York, has made full con-
fession Of the killing. A dispatch re-
ceived from New York last night says !:
"Ungcr was arrested on Thursday last,
and after being short time locked in
his cell he was brought before Inspector
Eynea In the room was table on
which had been placed the hammer
with which Bohle was killed, the knife
and saw used TO cut up the body, and
the rubber cloth in which the body was
wrapped after the killing. The chair
upon which Ungcr seated himself was
30 arranged that he could see little else
in the room save the bloody weapons.
He was asked II he wished to say any
thing. He shook his head, but sud
denly said "Bohle has gone 10 Chi
caeo, and will turn up in few days"
The Inspector was sitting at the table.
He had the bloody hammer i'll his hand,
and carelessly asked Unger what he
meant by that. But Unger would say
nothing further then. The sight of the
instruments on the table seemed not to
affect him, and the chief of detectives
deemed the man stubborn. Inspector
Byrnes concluded to say no more to him
at the time, but to confront him soon,
and at intervals, with people he knew,
and also 10 confront him frequently
with evidences of the killing. Mrs
Siegel, wife of the Brooklyn sausage
maker. was brought to identify Unger.
He was much surprised to see her,
hut was not allowed to talk On Fri
day he was identified by Mrs. Bense,
the Brooklyn saloon-keeper's wife whose
husband stored the trunk for Unger,
while the latt@ sought an eXpressman.
Every time Unger left his cell he was
confronted by some evidence of the
crime of which he was believed TO be
the author. A detective watched con-
stantly at the door of the cell in which
Unger was confined, but under strict
orders not to respond if the prisoner
attempted conversation, which he did
at times. Being brought many times
before Inspector Byrnes and his own
acquaintance, without being allowed
W itlhs ~ lthHth itiilSith III
ger irritable and nervous. Friday
afternoon Byrnes took the hammer,
saw, knife, and rubber cloth to Unger's
cell and asked if he had not seen them
before-in a manner as though Unger
had not been half dozen times CON
fronted with them. Unger was startled
but said he had never before seen the
bloody tokens. Then he was taken to
court and remanded, and ON the way
back remarked to Inspector Byrnes:
"You are trying to hang me.
TIKI MURDERER MORTIFIED.
The trunk with the body arrived
from Baltimore Saturday. The body
was sent TO the mOrgue. That night
Byrnes went to Unger's cell and asked
him how he felt
pretty well, said he, huskily.
Then the inspector unlocked the cell
door and Detective Hickey called Unger
into the corridor, where the lights were
turned low. The prisoner stepped
forth, but did not see the Inspector I'M
til the latter called him by name. As
he turned he saw Byrnes standing and
pointing at the trunk which had held
Bodies dead body. Unger staggered
at the sight, and tottered toward his
cell. Byrnes then took from the trunk
a piece of the murdered mans coat,
which had been used to wrap the body,
and, holding it before the prisoners
eyes. asked him where the rest of
Bohle's coat was. Unger shuddered at
sight of the blood-stiffened garment,
and, clasping his hands over his eyes,
was about to fall, when Detective
Hickey caught him and seated him
upon a couch in the corridor. He sat
down upon it, and, removing his hands,.
glanced about him.
Suddenly, and with a startled groan,
he sprang to his feet, asking if he could
change his seat, and taking proffered
chair. The sofa on which he had been
seated was the one found i'll fingers
room after his arrest. Unger's face be-
came ghastly pale, and when assisted to
his cell he was almost in fainting con-
dition.
Inspector Byrnes then told Unger he
would be near at hand when he was
ready to talk, and when the Inspector
returned from supper Unger had asked
to see him. Again Unger was brought
to Byrnes's room, where all the bloody
tokens confronted him.
FEARFUL STORY.
Il want to tell the whole truth about
the business" he sGd to the chief.
He then told this story, which was
taken in writing: Il live at No. -
Ridge street. | have known August
Bohle since November, 1886. l first
met him at my saloon, No. "a Eldridge !
street where he called in answer to
an advertisement. which | had put in
the Stats Zeititng for partner. We
could not agree upon terms, and sub
seouently gave up the business at that
number. / went to live at % Ridge
street. A short time afterwards Au
gust came to live with me, the arrange
ment being that he was to pay me hall
the rent, which was $3.50 per month,
and one third the household expenses
On the night of January 20, 1887,
after supper, my son Edward left the
house, leaving Bohle and myself in the
rooms. We remained talking and read
ing until about $50. Bohle was very
powerful man, and was swearing about
his hard luck. he called me - -.
I told him | was no - -, and put
my hand up to shove him away. He
then struck me on the neck with his
fist and knocked me down. / sprang
to my feet and attempted to strike him
with poker which i had in my hand
Bohle grabbed the poker from my
hand, and at the same time he seized
knife from the table and ran after me.
/ ran TO the bedroom. He followedme.
l picked up hammer from a chest
under the bed. He made another lunge
at me with the knife and / warded
it of, receiving slight cut in the
hand. / then struck him with the
hammer. He staggered, and l followed
him up and struck him again with the
hammer, the hammer sinking into the
skull as far as the handle. He stag
gered and fell back on the sofa dead.
This occurred about 10 o'clock p. NJ.
Expecting my son home every moment,
and TO avoid him seeing what had hap
,.apad I took the body from the sofa